Journey to Redemption
by Free and Ray
Summary: 4000 years ago, the Kharlan War came to an end. The history books don't tell you every detail, often pushing around the truth. The heroes of the Kharlan War went through far more than the history books let on. So what actually happened?


**Chapter 1 **

**Valeria's POV**

Sweat was dripping down my face as my daggers weaved in and out. Everything around me blurred together as my only focus became my brother and his spear. His long ranged weapon would push towards me and I'd jump back, trying to get my daggers in range again before jumping back once again. It was an endless cycle. Both of us equally matching the other. My speed against his strength.

I dashed to the side of his spear, my right dagger moving in to slash his arm before the spear came up between the dagger and myself. I backed away, but he still got a blow on me before one of my daggers was knocked out of my hand. He kicked it behind him before point the tip of his spear to my neck. Even with one dagger left, I couldn't fight my way out of his long range. Not at this point.

"Alright, I get it," I narrowed me eyes. "You win."

A small smirk appeared on his face as he pulled his spear away from me, spinning it a bit before sliding it behind his back. "Clearly. But that's to be expected. The only way you'd ever beat me if I went easy on you."

"If it's not going to be me, then someone is going to stop you from being so cocky." I rolled my eyes, sitting up to look up at him. "You're a prince, shouldn't you be acting more noble and all that."

He chuckled. "I only need to do that in public. With you though? I don't have to be that noble prince." He crossed his arms over his chest as he continued. "But look at it this way, me not going easy on you helps you grow. I'm helping you in my own way."

"Right, sure." I stood up, grabbing both my daggers and putting them in my sheaths on my back waist. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Caden."

He raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, have you noticed the progress you've made over the last few months? You spar with me almost every day, trust me, you've grown quite a bit."

"I've made progress, sure, just not as much as I'd like to have made by now." I crossed my arms, a small smile forming on my face. "Anyhow, main point of conversation here is that your cockiness is going to get you killed. It was nice knowing you."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Val. Lighten up a little, I'll be the last of the four of us to die because I'm not that dumb."

"Right, how could I forget? You're Sylvarant's pure genius." I rolled my eyes, walking beside him as we both turned to make our way back inside the government building. "And you tell me to lighten up."

He shook his head. "How dare you mock me. That's quite rude if you ask me."

I smiled, folding my arms. "You would know."

He elbowed me in the side. "Shut it."

Before he could say anymore, our oldest brother Xander walked up to us. "I'm sure you two have better things to do than bicker like this."

"Not at the moment, no." The smile left my face and I rested a hand on my hip. "We just finished our spar. Going to get cleaned up and then head to Father's meeting. I'm assuming that's what you've come to remind us of?"

He nodded. "Yes. You better clean up quickly. Father wants to start as soon as possible." He glanced between Caden and I. "So no more delays."

"Yes, of course."

I turned off and went a separate way as them both. Soon I found myself up on the third floor in my bedroom. I didn't have much time do give myself a good clean, something I realized when I saw the sun was almost at its peak. I washed my face with a cloth before glancing in a mirror. I was presentable enough for a simple meeting. Only my family and a few of the generals would be there anyway.

I tied my black hair up as I walked to the meeting, my steps smooth and steady as I stopped at the doors and walked inside. There were a few generals that still weren't present, but those who were bowed their heads as I walked by. I took my place beside Xander, across from our sister, Tanith. Caden still wasn't present, for whatever his reason maybe. "The genius of our country is going to be late? Who would've guessed."

"Valeria, don't be rude." Xander spoke with a sigh. "He'll arrive on time. He knows better than to be late."

"Of course, Xander. My apologies." I crossed my arms and glanced around the room. A few more people were beginning to file in, more or less just a few more generals and captains. Then, in came Caden with our father. He walked around the table and stood across from Xander, while our father went to the head of the large table. When he sat down, the rest of us followed suit and the meeting began.

"Comrades," my father began, gesturing to all of us. "We are beginning to fall behind in our efforts against Tethe'alla. We need a countermeasure that will help us to move forward. I'm opening the floor to suggestions, but please, nothing to bring any more of our people harm."

Xander was the first person to speak up, clearly eager to share his thoughts. "We can't attack them head on, that's suicide. What we need is to target something small, but something that would cause them to lose their momentum."

Tanith nodded. "I would agree with that. I propose we take aim at the higher ups in their military, possibly even the royal family. Take just one of them out and they'll be in disarray." She leaned forward, placing her joined hands on the table. "I suggest we go for their crown prince."

"Easier said than done," I narrowed my eyes at her, leaning back in my chair. "The castle is heavily guarded. Just getting in is a challenge in itself. Targeting one of the most well trained warriors, as well as one of the most heavily guarded ones, is nearly a suicide mission."

She raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather take out a simple general that can be easily replaced? It wouldn't do much for us. Just be happy I didn't say the Captain of their guard. She's constantly surrounded by knights and is more trained than any other. The Crown Prince is the best option."

I sighed, "Fair enough, I suppose."

We didn't go over many maneuvers in the meeting, but we did talk a lot about the attacks on Hima recently though. Xander was stressed about them moving towards the next bigger town like Luin, or taking out Izoold which was one of our ports. That was all the more reason to go after the crown prince of Tethe'alla as quickly as possible, as Caden put it.

When the meeting ended, all the generals and captains began to file out. Soon only the royal family remained. "I'll need some time to prepare. I'll leave tomorrow night, when the city is asleep. I'd rather not have word spread that I've left Palmacosta."

"Smart idea." Father spoke. "Once the job is done, come back right away. The last thing we need is for them to capture or even kill you."

"I'll be alright. Haven't been caught yet." I crossed my arms, glancing at Caden. "I wouldn't mind consulting with you on how I'm getting in there. You are a _master_ strategist after all."

Caden narrowed his eyes. "Don't push it. I'm only happy to help if you treat me nicely."

Tanith pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Don't start this. This is a serious topic."

"Right, of course.. My apologies, Caden." I sighed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. There was a time in my life when we were always making these kinds of jokes. Even Xander and Father would be laughing with us. Funny how fast things can change. "We should consult tomorrow, Caden. If you have the time."

There was a small smile across Caden's face as he nodded. "I'll make time for you. We should meet earlier in the morning to make sure you head out as soon as possible."

"That will work." I stood up, glancing back at them. "I'll be taking my leave then. I'll see the rest of you upon my return."

"Good luck." Xander smiled softly at me. "We'll look forward to your return."

I gave him a small smile before leaving through the doors and walking down the hall. I had my arms at my sides as I walked, glancing out windows every now and then to look into the city. My feet stopped at the stairs that would lead to the second and third floors. One of which I would find my room on. My feet didn't step up them though. Instead, my eyes laid on two large doors to my right.

They led into a large hall, where we used to have celebrations and buffets. Now only one thing was in there and all of us avoided the room for that very reason. It was a statue. To remember someone very dear to both our family and country. I watched those doors for a few long minutes, before I was finally able to look away and go up the stairs.

Two years ago, our mother died. Killed by Tethe'allan troops while she was visiting Asgard. Ever since, our family hasn't been the same. Nothing has been. That's redundant though. Life is going to change. We have to adjust whether we like it or not. Deal with what happened.

With that thought, I continued my walk to my room.

**Amelia's PoV **

"Attention!" My voice boomed through the room as I walked through the doorway. A line of knights gathered in front of me, standing up straight and their eyes facing forward. My feet carried me across the line to look each knight up and down. "I want morning drills done in half the time. Each of you will go to your respective sections afterwards and scan the area for any Sylvarant forces. Report back to me when you're done." I narrowed my eyes, giving them all one last glance. "Dismissed." I held my arm out to the side and each of the knights gathered their things and left the room towards the courtyard.

After each of them had left, I walked over to my desk, standing behind it to shuffle through my most recent reports. I picked up a few of the papers and turned to face the window, observing my knights as they began their morning drills. After just a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. "Enter."

Footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent room. They stopped right in front of my desk, and looking up I saw Eli who's gaze was out my window. "You have the knights drilled scared."

I hummed a bit in response. "It's better to have them be scared and respect me then comfortable and disrespectful. A scared army is a strong one." I flipped to the next document, scanning over the contents. "They have a lot of ground to cover today."

"As they always do." He went silent as he gazed out the Window for a few more minutes. Finally, his eyes fell on me. "There's a war meeting today. I'm assuming you'll be attending?"

"Of course." I nodded, gesturing to my documents. "I need to go through a couple more reports so I can debrief the others on our progress." I glanced up at him. "I do hope you've made your own progress as well."

"Of course. There's been a lot of attacks on the smaller towns. I've been meaning to speak with you about that, in fact. We need escorts for supplies within the next few days." He walked to the window, glancing out again as he spoke with his arms crossed. "Father also wishes to speak with you about something after the war meeting. A task of sorts."

I nodded in understanding. "I will send you with Anderson's squad. I'll just need to know what day and they'll be ready to go." I gave one last glance out the window at the knights before turning away, placing the documents back on the desk. "Any word on what the task is?"

"Yes, he'd like to discuss you leaving to go to Palmacosta and watch their government building. He believes their plotting something."

"Aren't they always?" I stated with a light chuckle. "We are at war after all." I looked back to him. "Haven't gone outside of the country in awhile, should be interesting."

Eli gave me a small smile, before turning his back. "You should ready yourself for the war meeting. I will go with Anderson's squad in your absence."

"Much obliged." I smiled at him as I began to make my way towards the door with him behind me. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. No more no less."

He nodded. "Don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream of it." I chuckled as I headed down a different hallway towards my room, while Eli went off on his own way. I entered my room and walked up to a mirror to make sure I was presentable. Father would be furious if a single hair was out of place on my head and I certainly didn't want that to happen.

Once all was in place, I headed back out my door and towards the training grounds. The knights would be finishing up their drills by now so I wanted to make sure everything was in line one last time. Either way, I needed to grab the lead knight, Kratos Aurion. He needed to be at the meeting just as much as I did.

I stepped out the door to the outside and glanced around. All was in order; good. When my eyes landed on Kratos, I approached him. "Aurion, meeting begins in ten minutes. Let's go."

Said man gave me one of his classic closed-eye nods before sheathing his sword and following me. "Of course, My Lady."

We said nothing more as we walked. He stayed two steps behind me, making sure not to stand directly next to me. That was never allowed unless I ordered someone to do so. We walked into the meeting room, finding multiple people already there, including Eli and my little sister Milla. I gestured for Kratos to go to his seat before heading towards my own. I stood between my brother and sister, waiting for our father to enter. Glancing down at Milla, I smiled. "Hopefully this doesn't last too long. I know you'd much rather be elsewhere."

Milla smiled up at me, folding both her hands behind her back. "Uh huh, I want to visit the people in town! Kratos promised to take me!"

I tilted my head. "Did he now?" I glanced over at the man in question, but wasn't able to meet his eyes as they were closed. "That was very kind of him. But don't cause too much trouble okay? Father wouldn't approve." I spoke, deciding not to bother with the fact that Kratos had made this choice without confirming with me first. He was doing something nice for Milla so I couldn't complain.

"I know," she giggled, tapping the tips of her feet up and down. "We'll be all secret about it all."

I chuckled. "Good." Before I could say anymore, the doors to the room opened wide and in walked my father. Each person around the table stood at attention, facing forward and each conversation stopped instantly. As he walked farther into the room, all we could hear were the sound of his steps echoing through the large space. He came to his seat at the head of the table and we each brought a fist to our chest.

"All hail his majesty!" We exclaimed before bringing our hands back to our sides. When father sat in his seat, we all followed suit.

There was a good minute of silence as he looked around the room. His eyes grazing over every attending member of the meeting before his booming voice sounded in the room. "It won't be long now and Tethe'alla will have won this war. Soon, one of Sylvarant's towns, Hima, will fall."

Eli leaned forward. "Next we should attack one of their ports. Cut them off from the continent and focus there. Limit their space until only the capital remains."

I nodded in agreement. "I would suggest Izoold. It's one of their main ports for supplies. Get rid of that port and they'll be forced to use a port closer to our territory."

"I was thinking the same." Eli brought his hands up to his chin. "The sooner the better. Or else they'll launch their own attack. They haven't done much in a few weeks. They're planning something."

I hummed a bit in thought. "I can have the knights ready within the week. I'll start working on a plan of attack immediately. They won't be able to gain any ground that easily."

"You have until tomorrow," Father said, glancing over at me. "There's another task you will be doing, I'm sure your brother informed you. You have limited time."

"Of course, my mistake." I frowned a bit, knowing that it would be a sleepless night. It was a lot of work for just one day. "In my absence, I will have Aurion keep watch over the knights."

Kratos glanced at me, giving me a small nod. "That'll work fine. Will I be leading the next attack if you do not return in time?"

I nodded. "Yes. I should be back by the time the attack is over. Any concerns will go to Prince Elijah if I haven't returned by then."

"Understood."

"We'll attack within the week," Xander continued, looking at me. "How long do you say it will take to prepare troops?"

"They can be ready within a half days notice." I explained, leaning forward. "I will inform them of the situation before the day is done and by day break they will know the plan and how to execute it."

"Excellent." Father smiled before waving his hand. "Now then, everyone leave. Except for Elijah and Amelia."

Everyone got to their feet excluding my brother and I. As Milla stood, I poked her arm, whispering to her. "Have fun with Kratos. Bring me home a trinket will you?" The small girl nodded before running up to Kratos and leaving the room. After everyone had left, both Eli and I turned to our Father, waiting for him to speak.

"Amelia, you'll be leaving for Sylvarant tomorrow," he frowned. "To spy. See what they're up too."

Eli glanced at me. "We have reason to believe they're planning something a little more than just a regular attack. It's your job to find out what."

"Understood. I will leave after my final debriefing with the knights and report back within the next couple of weeks." I spoke with a serious expression.

Father nodded, standing from his seat. "Excellent. I'll be expecting you gone by tomorrow at noon then."

"Yes, Father." I bowed my head as he exited the room. After he was out of sight, I raised my head and glanced over at Eli. "I'm going to begin the planning for the attack on Izoold. I'll debrief you before I leave."

He nodded and stood up, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Of course. Until then, Amelia."

I sent him one last smile as he left the room, leaving me by myself in the large space. By this time tomorrow, I would be on my way to complete my mission. I brought a hand up to my face, rubbing at my forehead. The last time I had left the country was when I was only six years old. But that was under completely different circumstances.

I got to my feet and headed towards the door. I wouldn't be gone long, all I needed to do was gather information then come home. Two or three weeks tops. Everything was going to be okay.

Taking in a sharp breath, I thought back to the event that took place when I was little. I had been kidnapped by a group of bandits, looking to make money off my suffering. Thankfully, I was able to get out unharmed, but…

My form flinched as I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. The last thing I needed was to think about that. I needed to stay calm and collected or I'd be setting myself up for failure. I had to succeed and thinking of the past wouldn't help me to do that.


End file.
